help me remove one thousand layers of paint?

June 4, 2006 4:10 PM

So, instead of simply throwing a new coat of paint onto the rusty, peely, pressed steel/tin/aluminum porch-swing we got out of the trash, I decided to try and strip off some of the many layers of paint first. Now, several hours of elbow grease and nearly a quart of citra-solve into the project, I am left with a goopy sticky partially stripped porch-swing and several piles of removed paint that look scrambled eggs and smell like the droppings of an animal that eats nothing but Tang...

Should I just keep on going with another round of citra-solve? Should I attack it with mineral spirits now (the theory being that the paint has permanently changed from paint into goo, and the goo can be taken off with spirits)? Should I kick it to the curb, let someone else finish the project, and pretend the whole thing never happened?

I am not at all fussy about the final quality of the finish, but the sticky crumby goo is obviously far too nasty to paint over...

posted by dirtdirt to Home & Garden (16 answers total)

I've been using a similar product (citrustrip) to strip walls of multiple layers of paint. I've found that it worked much better if I left it on for at least 1.5 hrs, scrapped off as much paint as possible with a putty knife, then washed the area with warm water, dish soap and a stiff bristled brush.

I would put a light coat of citra-solve on the gooey parts and try the putty knife/wash combination - it worked great for me.
posted by a22lamia at 4:23 PM on June 4, 2006

I would try and clean off the loose paint with the spray nozzle on a garden hose (a pressure washer would be better) and the go over the bench with a hand held wire brush (a wire brush on an angle grinder would be better) After that you can decide weather you want to give it another shot of paint stripper to get the remaining paint or start adding new coats.
posted by Tenuki at 4:31 PM on June 4, 2006

I didn't know this product citra-solve so I looked aroud and found its supposed to be a de-greaser and solvent of chewingum and probably natural adhesives and rubbers.

Doubt it will work on your paint unless it's water based or its adhesive component is some kind of weak rubber ; my guess is that paint stripper is what you will need to really remove the layers. Also consider sanding unless the metal had surface treatement against oxidation, like anodized alloys of alumium which are more prone to corrosion or zinc-coated metals. When in doubt, don't scrape the last layer on the surface, don't expose the metal.
posted by elpapacito at 4:39 PM on June 4, 2006

You need to let the stuff set in for an hour or two.
posted by notsnot at 4:44 PM on June 4, 2006

Response by poster: elpapacito - D'oh! I said it was citra-solve but, although that is a product I have used for completely different purposes (to great success) in the past, I am actually using the product a22lamia mentioned - Citrastrip. Ugh. Sorry about that, and thanks for the response!
posted by dirtdirt at 4:55 PM on June 4, 2006

The pressure washer idea sounds great. They're cheap to rent.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:07 PM on June 4, 2006

ditto what others have said. put it on thick, let it sit for a couple hours, and then use the putty knife. Reapply to stubborn areas and repeat. I would not reccomend washing the thing with water afterwards. Use something like naptha or mineral spirits that won't raise the grain of the wood and dries quickly. When you repaint, use a primer first to provide good adhesion to the bare wood. Also, make sure you gotten all the stripper off before you try to repaint.
posted by cosmicbandito at 7:03 PM on June 4, 2006

I've had a similar nightmarish experience with a fireplace mantel. We ended up taking it to a strip-clean place. It cost about $150, but every single bit of the paint was stripped off, and it was rarin' to be refinished.
posted by printchick at 7:12 PM on June 4, 2006

Wire brush or stripping disc + drill = Less crap
posted by IronLizard at 7:18 PM on June 4, 2006

find a place to get it powder coated and just pay to have it refinished. powder coating makes it all colorful, shiny & new. if you want to do it yourself, be patient, leave the solvent on there and scrub it with a wire brish like it's your job.
posted by oronico at 9:08 PM on June 4, 2006

Industrial refinishing is usually done by putting the whole item into a tank of paint stripper and leaving it there a while, removing it, hosing it down with water, and letting it dry. At home strippers often operate by forming a waxy layer on top of the stripper that keeps it from evaporating off -- this often makes it hard to clean up with water although plenty of furniture finish strippers (which ought to function the same as paint strippers I'd think) clean up with water.

Wire brushes, wire drill attachments, scotch brite pads, etc, will probably help quite a bit. Pressure washing may help also.
posted by RustyBrooks at 9:14 PM on June 4, 2006

I always use kitchen plastic wrap on top of the layer of stripper to let it work for a longer time.
posted by jjj606 at 6:18 AM on June 5, 2006

Call a local monument place (as in cemetary tombstones). Ask what they charge to sandblast. Should only run you $25-40. Primer immediately after you pick up or rust will ensue forthwith
posted by Pressed Rat at 7:19 AM on June 5, 2006

Tenuki writes "a pressure washer would be better"

No need to rent one if you don't have one, a few bucks at a U-Do car wash is more effective because you use hot water and as a bonus you don't have to clean anything up. I own a pressure washer and I still take paint stripper items to the car wash.

Tenuki writes "a wire brush on an angle grinder would be better"

Do not use a steel bristle wire brush on aluminum. Not only will you gouge the surface but little bits of steel will embed into the surface causeing rust and galanic corrosion. Plus the bits can be really sharp to sit on, especially if you have bare legs.

cosmicbandito writes " I would not reccomend washing the thing with water afterwards. Use something like naptha or mineral spirits that won't raise the grain of the wood and dries quickly. When you repaint, use a primer first to provide good adhesion to the bare wood. Also, make sure you gotten all the stripper off before you try to repaint."

cosmicbandito has good advice if there are any wood bits on the swing. Pressure washing would swell the wood but obviously that is not a problem on metal parts.

Depending on the cost of the stripper you use it may be cheap to have the swing sand blasted using either plastic beads or walnut shells.
posted by Mitheral at 7:19 AM on June 5, 2006

Mitheral beat me to it--the car wash is the place. This works great if you have an old pickup. Slather the thing with thick paste stripper, let sit for 2 hours, reapplying where it dries out, then take it to the car wash for a high pressure soapy blasting. It works wonderfully.
posted by LarryC at 10:15 AM on June 5, 2006

depending on the paint, a heat gun and a putty knife could help strip the paint right off the metal
posted by Megafly at 5:25 PM on June 5, 2006